bury one's head in the sand
Ignore obvious problems
To bury one's head in the sand is to avoid unpleasant realities by refusing to acknowledge them—like an ostrich supposedly hiding from danger by putting its head underground.
The phrase implies willful ignorance rather than genuine unawareness: The company buried its head in the sand about declining sales.
Often shortened to head in the sand: You can't keep your head in the sand forever.
- ostrichLargest living bird
- head in the cloudsAbsorbed in fantasy
- evadeEscape by cunning
- look the other wayWillfully ignore misconduct
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
ignore · elephant in the room · denial · blindness · self-deception · willful ignorance · blissful ignorance · overlook · out of sight · fear · anxiety · procrastinate · cognitive dissonance · sidestep · neglect · selective attention · compartmentalization · rationalization
bury one's head in the sandface the facts
Accept unpleasant truths
face the music · come to grips with · face up to · come to terms with · reckon with
bury one's head in the sandtake the bull by the horns
Confront a difficulty directly
grasp the nettle · bite the bullet · roll up one's sleeves · rise to the occasion · step up to the plate
buries, buried, burying, headed, heading, header, headless, headfirst